ABG Study/Exam Questions & Answers

A patient who has required prolonged mechanical ventilation has the following

arterial blood gas results: pH 7.48, PaO2 85 mm Hg, PaCO2 32 mm Hg, and HCO3

25 mEq/L. The nurse interprets these results as

a. metabolic acidosis.

b. metabolic alkalosis.

c. respiratory acidosis.

d. respiratory alkalosis.

The pH indicates that the patient has alkalosis and the low PaCO2 indicates a

respiratory cause. The other responses are incorrect based on the pH and the ...